Monday, October 12, 2009

Bombing the Sound Pt. 3

The next chapter in the story might not be worth the wait, I think the footage above of Pharoahe Monch and Shabaam Sahdeeq is an acceptable consolation. The asthmatic former member of Organized Konfusion spits the first verse of "WW II" twice, after his first delivery left the audience shell shocked. Don't you wish he would rhyme like he used to? (Monch is revisiting his early days this weekend.)

So where was I? Oh, yeah. DJ Reese and I were headed to the NY office of Loud Records where a young lady owed him a favor. We were going to the Soundbombing 2 concert and this was supposed to be a quick stop on the way While he and the record company person settled up, I was left in what might have been the meeting room for Loud. But I wasn't alone. There were rappers in there.

I wasn't a fan of Dead Prez then and I still don't own any of their material. So hanging out with the revolutionary gangsta duo wasn't on my "things to do while in New York" list. But here they were, just sitting there and I had nothing to say. I was hoping whatever business DJ Reese was taking care of wouldn't take long and we would on our way to the Bowery Ballroom to see Mos Def and 'nem. Then I heard the words that make rap critics cringe.

"You wanna hear our new shit?"

I'm sure my facial expression said "Not Really" or "Get me out of here," but I gave the polite answer and braced myself for some uncomfortable moments. I wasn't prepared for what happened next. I liked their music. All of it. They must've played the majority of what would become "Let's Get Free," and I was feeling every track. We chatted for a few minutes afterward and they considered heading to the concert, but I didn't see them there. DJ Reese finally returned, mysterious mission accomplished, and we were on our way.